2 (formerly 3) grown ups sharing a kitchen in inner city Melbourne. Both determined to eat very well for under $10/meal each. A place to share recipes, stories and cooking tips and, of course, to convert "meal in a box" believers and takeout food regulars

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

I am an extremely lazy cook but thanks to Malaysian Monday, I have been making an effort to cook something from home once a week at least for the past one year. Despite my hard work very few of my friends actually seek to try out any of my Malaysian dishes. There are way too many excuses; too complicated, too oily, too many ingredients etc...etc... And to prove them wrong I have prepared a dish that is extremely easy to prepare, fat free and with so few ingredients one can simply do without a shopping list.

This is a very aromatic Nyonya dish; it is a little sweet, a little tart and with just enough kick from the spices to get you out of your mid-winter hibernation. Well...that almost sums up this wonderful dish that I am sharing with you today I think. With both Melaka and Penang (together with Singapore, these former Straits Settlements all have rich Nyonya/Peranakanheritage) now on the "must visit" list for tourists visting Malaysia after gaining their world heritage status, I can only hope the fabulous Nyonya cuisine will also gain the recognition it truly deserved.

serves 4 as part of a Malaysian mealyou'll need;
600 g of whole prawns
1/2 a pineapple, peeled, eyes removed and cut into chunks
900 ml of prawn stock* or water
2 tbs of sugar
salt to taste
1 tamarind peel (optional)
1 bunch of Thai basil, picked (about 1 cup)
*for the prawn stock - simply simmer reserved prawns shell and heads (I always have some in my freezer) with water for 20 minutes and before removing the solids.